Saturday, November 27, 2010

REUTERS - India has been rocked this year by a series of corruption scandals that have embarrassed the ruling Congress party, rattled markets and delayed reform bills as the opposition stalls parliament.

The country, 87th in Transparency International's rankings based on perceived levels of corruption, is no stranger to scandals.

Here are some of the biggest in the last two decades:

2010 -- LOAN BRIBERY CASE

The case broke after a year of investigation on Nov. 24 when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested eight people, accusing them of bribery for corporate loans.

The arrests included the chief executive of state-run mortgage lender LIC Housing Finance and senior officials at state-run Central Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and Bank of India.

While the size of the scandal is not yet known, local media have reported it could run into hundreds of millions of dollars.

The CBI is probing 21 companies involved in India's booming infrastructure sector for links, but has not named them.

The bribes were allegedly paid by private finance firm Money Matters Financial Services, which acted as a "mediator and facilitator" for the loan beneficiaries, the CBI said.

Companies whose officials have been arrested have all denied any wrongdoing. Individuals arrested have not yet commented.

Government officials, including ministers, have said this is a case of individual wrongdoing and not a widespread scam.

2010 - TELECOMS LICENCE ROW

Telecoms Minister Andimuthu Raja was sacked after a report by India's state auditor said his ministry sold licences and spectrum below market prices, depriving the government of up to $39 billion in revenues.

The scandal swept up as high as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had to explain to the Supreme Court why he sat on a request for permission to charge Raja with corruption.

In its report, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) also said rules were flouted when the licences were given in 2007-08 which led to many ineligible firms getting them.

The CBI has launched an investigation into alleged corruption at the ministry. Nobody has been charged yet and Raja has denied any wrongdoing.

The CAG said Unitech units got licences despite having inadequate capital, Swan Telecom got a licence even though there were monopoly issues and Reliance Communications got undue benefits as it sought permission to offer services under the more popular GSM technology.

Revenue authorities have questioned Nira Radia, a top lobbyist, as part of an investigation into whether money laundering and forex laws were broken when the licences were purchased. Radia has denied any wrongdoing and has said she is cooperating with the probe.

2010 - COMMONWEALTH GAMES

Allegations of corruption over the international sporting event that took place in Delhi in October are being investigated by several bodies including the anti-corruption watchdog, the state auditor, the CBI and a special committee set up by Prime Minister Singh.

The Congress-party led coalition government came under fierce criticism for mismanagement and ineptitude over the sporting extravaganza which cost up to $6 billion.

Allegations of corruption spanned a broad spectrum including issuing of contracts and purchase of equipment -- from treadmills to toilet rolls.

India's anti-corruption watchdog has identified more than 16 projects with possible irregularities.

The Congress party eventually sacked Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the organising committee, as secretary of the party's parliamentary wing.

Aides have been arrested and local media has said Kalmadi could be arrested once he returns back from a foreign trip.

2010 - HOUSING SCAM

Congress party politicians, bureaucrats and military officials have been accused of taking over land meant for building apartments for war widows. The CBI has begun investigating the case.

Local media say apartments with a value of $1.8 million were sold for as little as $130,000 each in the apartment block, which faces the Arabian Sea in one of the world's most expensive stretches of real estate in Mumbai.

The government has sacked the chief minister of western Maharashtra state, Ashok Chavan, who is a member of Congress.

The apartment block is also being investigated for several violations of norms, including environmental laws and land-use rules.

The government has now effectively taken back permissions allowing owners to occupy the apartments, which are required for water and power supplies, leading to the disconnection of these services.

2009 - SATYAM

The founder of Satyam Computer Services, one of India's top software firms, resigned in January 2009 after admitting profits were falsely inflated for years.

The fraud, estimated at $1 billion, was India's largest corporate scandal and was dubbed "India's Enron".

With clients abandoning it, shares were hammered down to near-penny-stock levels.

The government stepped in to save the firm by appointing a new board of directors and midwifed its sale to Tech Mahindra. The firm is now called Mahindra Satyam.

The founder chairman of Satyam, Ramalinga Raju, and other officials including the then chief executive officer and chief financial officer, were arrested under several charges including fraud. The cases continue in court. The defendants have said they were not involved in the fraud.

1992 - SECURITIES SCAM

Several Indian stockbrokers were accused of siphoning off over 35 billion rupees ($778 million) of funds, mostly from inter-bank transactions, to fuel a rise in the Mumbai stock market in 1992. It involved top officers of state-run and foreign banks and financial institutions, bureaucrats and politicians.

News of the scam led to an over 40 percent fall in shares over two months, wiping millions of dollars from market value.

Harshad Mehta, the main accused, died in 2002, convicted in only one of the many cases filed against him, for misappropriation of funds in a case involving the use of money from the bank account of carmaker Maruti Suzuki for trading in stocks.

Several bank executives were convicted for fraud in allowing bank funds to be used for trading stocks.

1986 - BOFORS GUN DEAL

India's purchase of artillery guns from Swedish firm Bofors in 1986 was rocked by allegations that 640 million rupees ($14.2 million) -- a huge sum then -- was paid as bribes to people close to then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to swing the deal.

The scandal caused an uproar in parliament, led to a split in the ruling Congress party and the defeat of Gandhi in federal elections in 1989.

Its fallout has stymied India's defence expansion, with officials for years unwilling to take decisions on purchases that could later be probed for corruption.

Amongst the people probed were the London-based Indian business family of the Hindujas, who were later acquitted by a court of any involvement.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Known as Kanjrur Dattan, it was stronghold of the Mohyals Datt clan before 1947. Diwan Laxmi Chand who owned most of the land of the tehsil lived here. It had DAV High School and an important market for the area. Famous bollywood star Dev Anand hailed from a nearby village and so also the famous Tabla player Alla Rakha and his son Zakir Hussain also came from another village nearby.Chaudhry Bhagat Ram Dutta,Chaudhry Harnam Das Dutta, Chaudhry SN Dutta and Chaudhry GL Dutta Josh belongs to this town.

History

'Alipur Chatha,علی پو ر چٹھھ 'His old name was(Akalgarh) is a town of Gujranwala District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located at 32°16'0N 73°49'0E with an altitude of 193 metres (636 feet). The municipality was created in 1867 during colonial rule the town lay on the Wazirabad-Lyallpur branch of the North-Western Railway.

'Ali Pur Chathaعلی پو ر چٹھھ ' Ali Pur Chatta (formerly Akalgarh) is a town of Wazirabad Tehsil in the Gujranwala District of Pakistan. It is situated nearly 35km away in west from the district capital Gujranwala, 28km in north from Hafizabad and 8km in south from Rasool Nagar and Chenab River and almost 8 Kilometers of east of Sooianwala Chatha (سوئيانوالہ چٹھہ). It is a lush green area, the main crops are Rice, Wheat, sugar cane & Maze.

There are degree colleges both for boys and girls. Ali Pur Chattha is also known as land of fisheries and approximately 35,000 acres (140 km²) of land beyond Mandi Baha_ud _din covered by fish ponds.

Sadhanwali is 3km away from Ali Pur Chattha

The population according to the 1901 census was 4,961, the income during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged Rs. 5,500, and the expenditure Rs. 5,300. The income in 1903-4 was Rs. 6,400, chiefly from octroi; and the expenditure was Rs. 6,400. The town was the residence of a family of Khattris of the Chopra clan, to which belonged the Diwan Sawan Mal and his son Mulraj, governors of Multan in the later days of Sikh rule.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Chennai, Nov 15 (PTI) The country's largest IT services provider, Tata Consultancy Services, plans to recruit about 50,000 employees in 2011, the same figure as this year's, a top company official said today.

"This year we will add 50,000 people and next year we will add the same (number)," Tata Consultancy Services Managing Director and CEO N Chandrasekaran told reporters here. He said 30,000 of the 50,000 persons recruited were in the first quarter of this year.

Stating that there are good prospects in the overseas market, he said that TCS would recruit more number of candidates for overseas operations, but did not give exact numbers. "We plan to increase the number everywhere (in the world)," he said. Currently, TCS has a presence in the US, Latin America, China, the Middle East and European countries.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Aashish Dutta - S/o Sh. Deepak Dutta and Smt Mamta Dutta (Councillor MC Amritsar), studying in Bishop Cotton School Shimla, is a promising boxer of the school. he has won 5 gold medals in inter School Boxing Championships from 2004 to 2010. This year, he also participated in the Junior School Shooting Championship held at Faridabad, Haryana. he stood second and bagged a silver medal in the shooting competition.Sh. Deepak Dutta Donated Rs. 501/- to GMS on this happy occasionDevika Dutta - Grand Daughter of Ch. Mohan Dutta (Ex-President and Patron MS Amritsar) daughter of Ch Sudair Datta and Smt Annia Dutta residents of Saint Petersburg, Russia, has won many medals/positions in Ice figure skating. She has won gold medal in Russian Junior school championships this year. she stood second and third in her last two year games. Along with Ice Figure Skating championship, she also won first position in the junior School Singing competition held in October 2010.Her Grand father Ch. Mohan Dutta donated Rs. 501/- to GMS on these happy occasions.

In the year 1638, he fought with Paindah Khan , the Governor of Lahore. Baba Praga was wounded and died on his return to Karyala. His samadhi stands on the outskirts of Karyala and another memorial was raised in Kabul at ‘Char Bagh’. The cross section beyond Sarai Guru Ram Das on the periphery of the Golden Temple Complex at Amritsar is named Chowk Praga Das after him.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

भारत की यात्रा के दौरान सबको मोहित कर गए President Barack Obama

Barack H. Obama is the 44th President of the United States.

His story is the American story — values from the heartland, a middle-class upbringing in a strong family, hard work and education as the means of getting ahead, and the conviction that a life so blessed should be lived in service to others.

With a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas, President Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961. He was raised with help from his grandfather, who served in Patton's army, and his grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle management at a bank.

After working his way through college with the help of scholarships and student loans, President Obama moved to Chicago, where he worked with a group of churches to help rebuild communities devastated by the closure of local steel plants.

He went on to attend law school, where he became the first African—American president of the Harvard Law Review. Upon graduation, he returned to Chicago to help lead a voter registration drive, teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago, and remain active in his community.

President Obama's years of public service are based around his unwavering belief in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose. In the Illinois State Senate, he passed the first major ethics reform in 25 years, cut taxes for working families, and expanded health care for children and their parents. As a United States Senator, he reached across the aisle to pass groundbreaking lobbying reform, lock up the world's most dangerous weapons, and bring transparency to government by putting federal spending online.

He was elected the 44th President of the United States on November 4, 2008, and sworn in on January 20, 2009। He and his wife, Michelle, are the proud parents of two daughters, Malia, 12, and Sasha, 9.

10th November 1675 Bhai Mati Das Chhibber made supreme sacrifice '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''Bhai Mati Das Chhibber was a MohyalBrahminof the Chhibber clan.He was son of Hira Nand, a disciple of Guru Har Gobind, under whom he had fought in many battles. He survived the Guru, and a little before his death he had entrusted his two sons, Mati Das and Sati Das to the care of Guru Har Rai, who had assured the dying man of his full attention and help. Both the lads remained attached to the Guru's family at Kiratpur. When Guru Har Krishan was summoned to Delhi by Aurangzeb, both the brothers, Bhai Mati Das Chhibber and Bhai Sati Das Chhibber , were present in his entourage along with Dyal Das . He belonged to the village of Karyala, a stronghold of the Chhibbers, in the Jhelum District in Punjab (Pakistan), about ten kilometres from Chakwal on the road to theKatas RajTemple Complex. The village stands on the top of the Surla hills. This part of the country is known as Dhani meaning rich. A few kilometres away are the Salt Mines and coal mines of Dandot. The Katas lake is beautiful. Legend connects it to the Mahabharata. It is believed to be the same pool, where Yudhishtira was tested by his father, Lord Yama/Dharma in the form of a Yaksha. A great Hindu fair used to be held there up to 1947.Great Sacrifice

At Delhi, GuruTeg Bahadur and his four companions were summoned to the council chamber of the Red Fort. The Guru was asked numerous questions on religion, Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam. It was suggested to the GuruTeg Bahadur that he should embrace Islam. On the Guru's emphatic refusal to abjure his faith, he was asked why he was called Teg Bahadur (gladiator or Knight of the Sword; before this, his name had been Tyag Mal). Bhai Mati Das Chhibber immediately replied that the GuruTeg Bahadur had won the title by inflicting a heavy blow on the imperial forces at the young age of fourteen. He was reprimanded for his breach of etiquette and outspokenness. As Bhai Mati Das Chhibber was a Brahmin, GuruTeg Bahadur was asked why he had courted the company of such men?He did not believe in caste then why he was defending Brahmins of Kashmir. Guru Teg Bahadur replied that when a person became a Sikh, he lost his caste. As for the Kashmiri Pandits, it was his duty to raise his voice against cruelty and injustice. The Guru and his companions were ordered to be imprisoned and tortured until they agreed to embrace Islam.

After a few days, Guru Teg Bahadur and three of his companions were produced before the Qazi of the city. Gurditta had managed to escape. He remained in hiding in the city, and in spite of all the efforts of the Government, he could not be traced. The Qazi turned to Mati Das first and asked him to embrace Islam. He refused to do so. He was condemned to an instantaneous death.

The executioners were called and the Guru and all the three of his companions were made to sit at the place of the execution. Bhai Mati DasChhibber approached the Guru with folded hands and asked for his blessings, saying that he was happy to be the first to achieve martyrdom.

Guru Teg Bahadur blessed him telling that they must resign themselves cheerfully to the will of the Lord. He praised him for his lifelong single-minded devotion to him and his cause. With tears in his eyes, he bade him farewell saying his sacrifice would occupy an abiding place in history. Bhai Mati DasChhibber touched the Guru's feet, embraced his friend and brother Bhai Sati Das Chhibber.

Bhai Mati DasChhibber while standing erect was tied between two posts. He was asked if he had any parting words, to which he answered, "I request only that my head be turned toward my GuruTeg Bahadur jee while I am executed."

Two executioners placed a double-handed saw on his head. Mati Das serenely uttered ' Ek Onkar ' and started reciting the Japji Sahib, the great morning prayer of the Sikhs. He was sawn across from head to loins. It is said that even as his body was being sawn into two, the Japji continued to reverberate from each part until it was all over.

In recognition of the devotion and supreme sacrifice made by Bhai Mati Das Chhibber , Guru Gobind Singh bestowed title ofBhaion him.

In course of time, all Chhibbersbelonging to the village ofKaryala adopted this title.

Bhai Mati Das Chhibberoccupies a premier position in the history of Indian and Mohyal martyrs.

दसनवम्बर शहीद-दिवस परविशेष10 नवम्बर 1675 कोभाईमतिदासछिब्बर और भाई सती दास ने औरंगजेबकेआदेशपर इस्लाम धर्म स्वीकार नहीं किया । उन्होंने अत्याचारीऔरंगजेबकेधर्मपरिवर्तनकेप्रस्तावकोठुकराया और देशऔरधर्मकेलिएबलिदानहोगए।जिस निर्मम ढंग से उन्हें शहीद किया गया , ऐसा बर्बर उदाहरणइतिहासमेंमिलनाकठिनहै।भाईमतिदासकोचांदनीचौकमेंआरेसेचिरवादियागया।उनकेभाई सती दास के पूरे शरीर पर रुई लपेट दी गई और आग लगा दी गई. इस तरह उन्हें शहीदकरदियागया।ऐसेवीरबलिदानीमोहयाल ब्राहमण आजभीहमसबकेहृदयोंमेंविराजेहुएहैं।हमेंउनपरगर्वहै। उनकेशहीदी - दिवसपरश्रद्धापूर्वकस्मरणऔरश्रद्धांजलि !--जयमोहयालपरिवारBhai Mati Das was a MohyalBrahminof the Chhibber clan.Mati Das was the son of Hira NandChibber, a disciple of Guru Har Gobind, under whom he had fought in many battles. He survived the Guru, and a little before his death he had entrusted his two sons, Mati Das Chhibber and Sati DasChhibber to the care of Guru Har Rai, who had assured the dying man of his full attention and help. Both the lads remained attached to the Guru's family at Kiratpur. When Guru Har Krishan was summoned to Delhi by Aurangzeb, both the brothers, Mati Das and Sati Das, were present in his entourage along with Dyal Das . He belonged to the village of Karyala, a stronghold of the Chhibbers, in the Jhelum District in Punjab (Pakistan), about ten kilometres from Chakwal on the road to the Katas Raj Temple Complex. The village stands on the top of the Surla hills. This part of the country is known as Dhani meaning rich. A few kilometres away are the Salt Mines and coal mines of Dandot. The Katas lake is beautiful. Legend connects it to the Mahabharata. It is believed to be the very pool, where the Pandava, Yudhishtira was tested by his father, Lord Yama/Dharma in the form of a Yaksha. A great Hindu fair used to be held there up to 1947.Great Sacrifice

At Delhi, the Guru and his four companions were summoned into the council chamber of the Red Fort. The Guru was asked numerous questions on religion, Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam. It was suggested to the Guru that he should embrace Islam. On the Guru's emphatic refusal to abjure his faith, he was asked why he was called Teg Bahadur (gladiator or Knight of the Sword; before this, his name had been Tyag Mal). Bhai Mati Das immediately replied that the Guru had won the title by inflicting a heavy blow on the imperial forces at the young age of fourteen. He was reprimanded for his breach of etiquette and outspokenness. As Mati Das was a Brahmin, the Guru was asked why he had courted the company of such men when he did not believe in caste, and why he was defending the Brahmins of Kashmir. The Guru replied that when a person became a Sikh, he lost his caste. As for the Kashmiri Pandits, it was his duty to raise his voice against cruelty and injustice. The Guru and his companions were ordered to be imprisoned and tortured until they agreed to embrace Islam.

After a few days, Guru Teg Bahadur and three of his companions were produced before the Qazi of the city. Gurditta had managed to escape. He remained in hiding in the city, and in spite of all the efforts of the Government, he could not be traced. The Qazi turned to Mati Das first and asked him to embrace Islam. He refused to do so. He was condemned to an instantaneous death.

The executioners were called and the Guru and all the three of his companions were made to sit at the place of the execution. Bhai Mati Das approached the Guru with folded hands and asked for his blessings, saying that he was happy to be the first to achieve martyrdom.

The Guru blessed him telling that they must resign themselves cheerfully to the will of the Lord. He praised him for his lifelong single-minded devotion to him and his cause. With tears in his eyes, he bade him farewell saying his sacrifice would occupy an abiding place in history. Bhai Mati Das touched the Guru's feet, embraced his friend and brother, and came to his place.

On 10 November 1675 Bhai Mati Das Chhibber while standing erect was tied between two posts. He was asked if he had any parting words, to which Bhai Mati Das Chhibber answered, 'I request only that my head be turned toward my Guru as I am executed.' Two executioners placed a double-handed saw on his head. Bhai Mati Das Chhibber serenely uttered ' Ek Onkar ' and started reciting the Japji Sahib, the great morning prayer of the Sikhs. He was sawn across from head to loins. It is said that even as the body was being sawn into two, the Japji continued to reverberate from each part until it was all over.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Washington, Nov 3 (IANS) Riding a Republican wave, Nikki Haley, a daughter of Sikh immigrant parents from Amritsar, created history as the first Indian American woman to win the Governor's race in South Carolina state.

Haley, born Nimrata (Nikki) Randhawa will be the first woman chief executive of the State and America's second Indian-American governor after Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, also a Republican, who became the first with his election three years ago.

A mother of two Haley, 38, who defeated Democrat Vincent Sheheen, with a surprisingly close 51 percent 47 percent vote in the most expensive election in state history Tuesday, has already like Jindal been mentioned as a 'long shot' presidential candidate for 2012.

Haley saw quite a bit of controversy surround her campaign before the primary earlier this year. From a racial slur from a fellow lawmaker to unproven accusations of an affair by a political blogger, Haley still snagged the Republican nomination in a run-off in June with 65 percent votes.

Endorsed by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former South Carolina First Lady Jenny Sanford, and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Haley is also part of the populist, conservative/libertarian Tea Party movement.

Haley, one of the strongest fiscal conservatives in state government, was first elected to represent the 87th District in Lexington County in 2004, when, as a virtual unknown she beat the longest serving state legislator in a Republican primary.

In 2008, Haley was sent back to the state house with 83 percent of the vote - the highest percentage earned by any lawmaker facing a contested South Carolina election that year.

Born in Bamberg, South Carolina, Nikki's first job was keeping the books for her family's clothing store - at the age of 13.

She went on to graduate from Clemson University with a BS degree in accounting and following her graduation worked as Accounting Supervisor for the Charlotte, North Carolina based corporation FCR, Inc. and five of its subsidiaries.

Nikki then went back to the family business where she helped oversee its growth into a multi-million dollar operation.

Nikki and her husband Michael, a full time federal technician with the South Carolina National Guard and an officer in the Army National Guard, live in Lexington with their two children, Rena, 12, and Nalin, 8.

http://jaymohyal.blogspot.comअशोकलवकीकविताएँपुस्तक-लड़कियाँछूनाचाहतीहैंआसमानVisit alsohttp://ashoklavmohayal.blogspot.comClick onOlder Post to read more articles.Click on the listed article to read that article.